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Topic: Excerpts from Srimad Bhagavatam (Read 252153 times)

The Supreme Lord said:The learned seeker whose intuition has led him to the realisation of the Self, does not indulge in theoretical dialectics about this world of diversity, knowing it to be a mere appearance in Me, a knowledge which he has also eventually to renounce exclusively to Me, his highest bliss and redemption, his goal and the way to it. He whose mind has been thoroughly purified by knowledge and realisation alone can comprehend My Supreme State. Penance, pilgrimage, japa, charitable acts, are mere means of self-purification, and not of perfection, as knowledge is. Therefore work your self-knowledge up to the stage of realisation, O Uddhava, and reject everything else but your devotion to Me. The threefold manifestation of prakriti, namely, body, mind and senses in you, is an illusion, having neither beginning nor end, but appears in the middle (like the snake which appears in the dark, but which has at no time been, nor will at any time be, other than a rope).

Jnana consists in perceiving the nine principles, the eleven organs, the five elements, and the three gunas in all creatures, and the One Supreme Soul (Purusha or Paramatman) permeating them all. Vijnana (discursive knowledge) perceives neither plurality nor the pervading One, but investigates into the creation, preservation and dissolution of all things which are made of the gunas (to repudiate them all). That alone is real which abides in the beginning and end and which appears to evolve in the middle. Plurality has, therefore, no existence whatever (since the Reality alone exists but appears as the evolving diversity, having a beginning and an end): it is repudiated by the four principal pramanas (evidences or means of firm knowledge), namely, the authority of the Vedas, direct perception, the authority of the wise (tradition), and inference. Ritualistic acts, likewise, being transient, are unreal. The wise look upon the pleasures of the invisible world (which are the result of action) as misery-laden and as perishable as those of this visible world.

Formerly I talked to you about bhakti-yoga oh sinless one. Let Me now also expound on the supreme method of this devotion unto Me. Faith in the nectar of the narrations about Me, always singing My glories, to relate to Me with hymns and prayers; to think of Me as being present in all living beings, to dedicate all one's activities to Me, to conteplate and talk about My qualities, to offer one's mind to Me,to be of sacrifice with charity and offerings, to do japa and to worship Me,to reject desires,and, finally, through total surrender of the whole being to Me. Dharma is that which leads one to devotion unto Me and knowledge(jnana),which is awareness of the presence of the Self. Detachment [vairagya] results in disinterestedness in the sense objects and opulence [aisvarya] culminates in the mystical perfections of anima and so on.

'Nonviolence, truthfulness, not coveting or stealing the property of others, detachment, modesty, non-possessiveness, trustfulness, celibacy, silence, steadiness, forgiveness and fearlessness are the twelve types of restrictions [of yama]. Inner and outer cleanliness, doing japa, penance, sacrifice, faith, hospitality, worship of Me, visiting holy places, care for the welfare of others in this world, contentment and serving the spiritual master are the twelve regular duties [of niyama]. Mental equilibrium means the absorption of one's intelligence in Me and self-control entails the disciplining of the senses. The greatest charity is to give up all aggression toward others, and renunciation of lust is understood to be real austerity. Real heroism is to conquer one's natural tendency to enjoy material life, and reality is seeing the Supreme Self everywhere. Truthfulness means to speak the truth in a pleasing way, as declared by great sages. Cleanliness is detachment from the fruits of action, whereas renunciation is the purity,or sannyasa. The true desirable wealth for human beings is Dharma, and I, the Supreme, am sacrifice.Opulence is My divine nature, gain is My bhakti, education is the nullifying of the division of the self, and modesty [sense of shame] is the disgust against unjust action. Beauty means to be of good qualities.The desire to get over happiness and misery is happiness; the desire to enjoy worldly happiness is misery. He is learned who knows the distinction between bondage and freedom, and ignorant who looks upon his body as himself. The means by which I am attained is known as the right path, and the wrong path is that by which mundane activity is undertaken. Activity of the Sattva guna is heaven, that of tamas is hell.

"I have thus answered all your questions, O Uddhava, but what avails you to go through all the characteristics of good and evil, which are always safe to avoid?"

The Supreme Lord said:One does not win Me by mysticism or analysis, common piety or the study of the scriptures, by penances, renunciation, pious works or charity, by respecting vows, ceremonies, Vedic hymns, pilgrimage, by general discipline or the basic rules. One rather wins Me by the sat-sanga with the Saints and My devotees. That association drives away all attachment to objects of the senses. By associating with the Wise many living beings in every age achieved Me like the sons of Diti, the malicious ones, the animals, the birds, the singers and dancers of heaven, the ones of excellence and of perfection, the venerable souls and the treasure keepers, the scientific ones among the humans and the merchants, laborers and women, the uncivilized ones and the ones of passion and slowness. So also did Vritrasura, the son of Kayadhu [Maharaja Prahlada] and others like them, Vrishaparva, Bali, Bana, Maya as also Vibhishana [brother of Ravana], Sugriva [leader of the Vanaras] and great Devotee Hanuman, Jambavan, Gajendra, Jathayu, Tuladhara, Dharma-vyadha, Kubja and the gopis in Vraja, the wives of the brahmins and others. Not having studied the sacred scriptures, without vows and not having undergone austerities, attained Me by association with My devotees. Only by unalloyed love indeed the gopis easily attained Me. In Vraja,even the cows, the immobile creatures, the snakes and trees in hundreds of thousands became accomplished and attained to Me, the Supreme Brahman. When Akrura took Me and Balarama to Mathura they, the inhabitants of Vrindavana, whose hearts were attached to Me with the deepest love, suffered greatly because of the separation as they did not saw happiness anywhere. All the nights they in Vrindavana spent with Me, their most dearly Beloved, oh Uddhava, seemed to take but a moment to them, but again bereft of Me they became as long as a kalpa. Just as sages fully absorbed lose the awareness of names and forms - like they are rivers entering the water of the ocean - also they whose consciousness was intimately bound to Me had no awareness anymore of their bodies, their present or their future . The hundreds and thousands of women who desired Me as their friend and lover, had no knowledge of My actual position and attained Me by associating with Me, the Absolute Supreme Truth.

Therefore, O Uddhava, turn your back on all actions, whether prescribed or not, as well as on all learning, past or future, and seek shelter with all your heart in Me,the Truth,and the Self of all, and you will be free from all fear. It is by this Self that the body is permeated, and in it that the universe is woven like the warp and woof of a cloth.

The honorable king Nimi said: 'My lords, please tell us about the illusory potency of Maya of the Supreme Lord Vishnu We would like to understand what bewilders even the great mystics. We enjoy the nectar of your talks about Lord Hari, but we are not yet satisfied by that antidote against the pain a mortal experiences being tormented by the misery of samsara.'

Antariksha answers:?In order to enjoy the senses as well as the bliss of Liberation, the Prime Purusha created out of Himself the great elements from which He made all things, high and low. Then He became one mind and ten organs and entered the great elements as the many jivas with bodies, through which He enjoys the sense-objects and to which He grew attached by identifying Himself with them. This identification with the gross body rather than with His own eternal Self is Maya, which causes Him much suffering as jiva, and from which He, however, escapes by seeking the realisation of His true nature, and after many many births attains it. This realisation is very blissful and is called Liberation.

Nimi said: 'Oh great sage, please tell how materialistic people with ease may overcome this material energy of the Lord that is so unsurpassable for those lacking in self-control.'

The sage Prabuddha replies:"It is common knowledge that human couples who expect to derive happiness from their union reap only misery. What happiness can be gained from wealth which is gathered with so much hardship, or from children and relatives, who are but temporary acquisitions, when even heavenly felicities do not last to eternity? Lasting happiness, O King, can be found nowhere but in the realisation of the absolute Truth through the guidance of a guru, who has mastered the meaning of the Vedas and has himself experienced it, and through the practice of the well-known virtues namely, friendship, humility, benevolence, purity, performance of duty, endurance, study of the Scriptures, sincerity, non-violence, evenness of mind, control of speech, etc. Hearing, chanting and meditating on the Avatars, pastimes and qualities of the Lord whose activities are all wonderful, one must do everything for His sake. Whatever worship, charity, penance, japa or piety one performs, everything held dear, one's wife, sons, home and very life air, one should dedicate to the Supreme. In rendering service to both [the moving and nonmoving living beings] one must be of friendship with the common man as also with the devotees, the great souls who accepted Krishna as the Lord of their heart. Company of the Saints,mutual discussions with fellow devotees, remembering Him and reminding one another. The bhakti unto the Lord puts an end to the chain of sins. Sometimes one cries by the thought of Acyuta, sometimes one laughs or takes great pleasure or speaks, acts wondrously, dances and sings and sometimes one, following the example of the Unborn One, is freed from distress and becomes silent while attaining the Supreme Self . All this eventually never fails to carry one safely across the bottomless ocean of Maya."

Suka said: 'Yayati who being moved by lust thus was ruled by women, and acted against his well-being. In resignation he narrated the following story to his wife Devayani.

'Oh daughter of S'ukra,in this world there was someone exactly like me. Please listen as I narrate the history of his life. By hearing about the life of such a householder, those who have retired from householder life always lament. There was a goat in the forest searching for some food for his cherished self. He happened to meet a she-goat that as a consequence of her own actions had fallen into a well.Motivated by lust the he-goat thought of a way to free her. With the tip of his horns he then engaged in digging into the earth around the well ,and thus he freed her. The he-goat thought she is very pretty and looking very nice, and she from her side fancied him as a sexual partner too, just as all the other she-goats did that were looking on. Stout, with a nice beard being a first class seed donor and master lover, that he-goat, the number one goat of them all, forgot himself completely like someone haunted. As the only male enjoying the great number of them, he was always overwhelmed by his lusts. When the she-goat he had freed from the well saw him, her beloved, engaged in delighting with another one, she could not tolerate that. She considered him a lusty, cruel-hearted pretender, a friend to the occasion who is only interested in sensual matters. Therefore, because her husband was lusty, she left him and returned to her former maintainer. Controlled by her the he-goat in pain followed her miserably and tried to pacify her on the road with utterances that goats are used to practice, but he could not satisfy her. The she-goat went to the residence of a brahmaṇa who was the maintainer of another she-goat, and that brahmaṇa angrily cut off the he-goat's testicles. But at the he-goat's pleading, the brahmaṇa later rejoined them by the power of mystic yoga.

Oh dearest wife, the he-goat with his health restored, for many, many years enjoyed the she-goat he had saved from the well, but up to the present day his lusty desires are not satisfied.I am a poor miser just like that. In the company of you with your beautiful eyebrows I am tied in love and I could as yet, bewildered as I am by your outer appearance, not be of self-realization. The mind of someone who is a victim of lust cannot find satisfaction in all the food grains, barley, gold, animals and women of this world. The lust of the lusty will never ever be pacified by enjoyment, it will just like a fire that again and again is fed with butter only increase. When someone is nonenvious and does not desire ill fortune for anyone, nor goes at the detriment of any living being, for such a person who is of an equal vision towards all, all directions will appear equally happy. The desire that is so difficult to forsake for ignorant people, that root cause of all tribulation that is not so quickly overcome, should be given up by the one who seeks happiness. The power of lust is so great ,that one should not [even] be seated indiscriminately with one's mother, with one's sister or one's daughter, because the senses in combination are so very strong that they even will agitate the most learned one. Even though I for a thousand years without interruption enjoyed the gratification of my senses, that desire still develops constantly. I will therefore give up on these desires and fix my mind upon the Absolute Truth. Free from duality and without falsely identifying myself, I will wander free of this animal nature. One should not blindly follow one's lesser desires and listen to them,but should be made aware how they are of a temporary nature,and just seem to be irresistible. This is just an illusion. One should not give it any further thought or strive for it. He who is mindful of the fact that they lead to the prolongation of a worldly existence and to forgetfulness about the real self, is a self-realized soul.'

'After the son of Nahusha had said this to his wife, he being freed from desires accepted his old age and gave Puru his youth back(he took the youth of his son so he can enjoy lust even longer). He made of his other, faithful sons Druhyu king over the southeastern direction, Yadu over the southern side, Turvasu over the western part and Anu over the north. The entire planet's riches and wealth he placed under the control of Puru as the most admirable one of all the citizens. He crowned him emperor over his elder brothers and thus having arranged his affairs he left for the forest. All those years he with his senses and mind without interruption had enjoyed life. Seeing futility of it,that all he gave up in a single moment, just like a bird that leaves its nest when its wings have grown. Doing this he was instantly freed from all his attachments and was, now that he derived from his original self, free from the influence of the three modes . He surrendered to Vasudeva,and pure in his transcendence ,achieved the Absolute Truth, that was his destination as a confident associate of the Supreme Lord. When Devayani heard the story that like a joke was presented in the exchange of love between husband and wife, she understood that it was meant for her self-realization. She understood that living with husband,friends and relatives who are all subjected to the control of the rigid laws of nature , is alike associating with travelers at some place, that according to one's karma was created by the Lord's illusory potency. The daughter of Sucracarya gave up all her attachments in this dreamlike world, fixed her mind fully on Lord Krishna ,and achieved liberation from both,gross and subtle bodies.

I bow to Supreme Lord Vasudeva, Creator of All who reside in all beings and abodes. My respects for You who in perfect peace is the Greatest of All!'

Jamadagni married Renuka, the daughter of Renu. She with the seer of Bhrigu gave birth to many sons of whom Vasuman was the eldest. The renown Paras'urama [also known as Rama] was the youngest son. He who twenty-one times acted as the annihilator of the Haihaya dynasty and thus freed the earth from all her kshatriyas, is called an incarnation of Vasudeva. (The earth's burden of the arrogant governing class that, covered by passion and ignorance, lacked in respect for the brahminical rule, was removed by him. He killed them despite the fact that they had committed no great offense .'

The honorable king said: 'What was, of those degraded nobles out of control, the offense committed unto the Supreme Lord because of which time and again the dynasty was annihilated?

The son of Vyasa said: 'The king of the Haihayas, Kartaviryarjuna, the best of the kshatriyas, had developed a thousand arms in upholding the worship of Dattatreya who is an incarnation of Narayana. He who was the fear of his enemies could not be defeated, was sharp-witted, most attractive, influential, powerful, renown and physically very strong. Because of his yogic control he had acquired qualities like the perfections of the anima-siddhi and such and he tirelessly traveled all over the world like a whirlwind. When he one day surrounded by beautiful women enjoyed the water of the Reva, he, overly proud of his of victory, with his arms stopped the flow of the river. The conceited hero called Ten-head [Ravana] could not bear that , since the water that moved upstream because of Kartaviryarjuna's actions had inundated his camp. Ravana who insulted him in the presence of the women was without much difficulty arrested by him, held in custody in their capital Mahishmati and then released again as if it concerned a monkey.

Once during a hunt alone in the forest wandering aimlessly,Kartaviryarjuna entered the as'rama of Jamadagni muni. The sage on the basis of his austerity had the cow of plenty,kamadhenu,and could offer to that god of man together with his soldiers, ministers and the rest of his retinue, everything that was needed. When the king saw what this wealth that exceeded his personal opulence all meant, he became very envious. He and his Haihayas then decided to steal that cow of sacrifice. In his conceit he encouraged his men to take away the sage's cow of plenty and bring her together with her calf to Mahishmati ,while the calf was crying because of the violence. After the king was gone Paras'urama, upon returning to the as'rama of his father, heard about that nefarious act and got as angry as a snake that is trampled upon. Unable to tolerate what had happened he took up a ghastly chopper, a quiver, a bow and a shield and went after them like a lion attacking an elephant. As the king entered the capital he saw the best of the Bhrigus coming after him in fury carrying a bow, arrows and a chopper as his weapons. His skin was covered by a black deerskin, he had matted locks and radiated like sunshine. He sent seventeen akshauhinis with elephants, chariots, horses and infantry, with swords, arrows, lances, slings and weapons of fire, but Paras'urama, the Lord and Master, most fiercely killed them all by himself.He as the greatest expert in handling the chopper, killed as fast as the wind and as speedy as the mind the enemy troops from whom here and there the arms, legs and shoulders fell to the ground together with the drivers of the elephants and the horses that had been slain. Seeing his soldiers fallen by the axe and the arrows of Rama lying scattered with their shields, flags, bows and dead bodies in the mud and the blood on the field, Kartairryarjuna rushed over there in fury. Kartaviryarjuna then fixed with five hundred of his arms simultaneously as many arrows on as many bows in order to kill Rama, but he as the best fighter of all the ones armed, cut them all to pieces with his arrows using one bow only. The king attacked again with trees and rocks that he had uprooted with his hands, but, as he was rushing forwards on the battlefield, all his arms were by Paras'urama's razor-sharp axe with great force cut off like they were the hoods of snakes. After his arms had been cut off, the mountain peak that was his head was severed. As soon as their father was killed his ten thousand sons fled away in fear. Fetching the sacrificial cow and calf that had suffered badly, the Killer of All False Heroism returned to his father's hermitage and handed them over to him. Rama described to his father and brothers everything that he had done. After hearing that Jamadagni spoke as follows:

Rama, oh Rama, mighty hero, you have committed a sin by unnecessarily killing that god of man who embodies all the demigods. We are brahmins my dear one, people who because of their forgiveness have achieved a position of respect. It is by this quality that Lord Brahma who is the spiritual master of the universe has achieved his position as the supreme authority.By forgiveness the splendor, happiness and success of the religious practice shines as brilliant as the sun. The Supreme Lord Hari, our Controller, becomes quickly pleased with those who are forgiving. To kill a king who is famous as an emperor is worse than killing a brahmin. Therefore wash away that sin my best one, by worship and devotion, with the consciousness full of the Infallible One.'

How Lord Paras'urama Came to Destroy the Ruling Class Twenty-one Times

S'uka said: 'Oh son of the Kuru dynasty, Paras'urama thus by his father being advised said: 'So be it!', whereupon he for a year traveled to all the holy places. Then he returned to the as'rama. When Renuka,his mother, one day went to the bank of the Ganges, she saw the king of the Gandharvas. He was garlanded with lotus flowers and sported with the girls of heaven, the Apsaras. She observed his affairs as she went to the river to fetch some water. Drawn to Citraratha , she forgot the time of the fire sacrifice. Upon returning to ashrama,realizing that she had neglected the time, she was afraid to be cursed by the sage and stood with folded hands before him, having put the waterpot in front of him. The sage understood she had deviated from the rule and became angry with his wife. He said: 'Remove her my sons, she's full of sin', but the sons did not carry out his order. Rama, who through his meditation and austerity was fully aware of the prowess of the sage, in response to the encouragement of his father immediately killed immediately his mother and all his brothers. When Jamadagni thus being pleased asked him what benediction he would like, he said: 'Give those whom we have lost their life back without them remembering their punishment!' Soon they all rose happily and alive like they had awakened from deep sleep, since Rama had executed the punishing of his kin in the full awareness of the power of his father's austerity.

The sons of Kartaviryarjuna, oh King, meanwhile could not have peace with the remembrance of their father being defeated by the superior power of Paras'urama. So one day,when Rama with his brothers was away from the as'rama in the forest, they, seeking revenge, took the opportunity to approach their residence. Finding the muni sitting at the fireplace fully absorbed in contemplating the Supreme One Praised in the Verses, they, determined to do evil, killed him. Being most cruel towards the poor and unprotected mother of Rama,who begged for the life of her husband, they, those 'kshatriya' brothers, violently cut his head off and took it away. Renuka, the chaste wife down in tears grieving, stroke her body with her hands and cried loudly: 'Oh Rama, oh Rama, my dear son!' Hearing the sound of that cry 'Oh Rama', Rama and his brothers,despite being far away, hastened back to the as'rama where they saw that their father had been murdered. Bewildered by the schock, they all lamented and angrily, depressed, sad and indignified cried: 'Oh father, oh saint, you who are such an example of dharma have now departed for heaven and left us behind!'Thus bewailing their father, Paras'urama entrusted the body to his brothers and personally took up the ax, determined to put an end to the kshatriyas. He went to Mahishmati, [the capital] that was doomed because a brahmin had been killed. There,he in the middle of the town, made a great pile of the heads he severed from their bodies. Their blood formed a terrible river that brought fear to all the rulers who defied the brahminical culture. Because the kshatriyas, the royal class, had killed his father, he acted to their detriment and twenty-one times over wiped them off the earth. He as a master of war thus at Samanta-pancaka created nine lakes filled with blood instead of water.

Joining his father's head with his body he kept him on kus'a grass and worshiped with sacrifices the Godhead, the True Self and inspiration of all the demigods. The hota priest he gave the eastern direction, the brahma priest he gave the southern direction, the adhvaryu he gave the western side and the udgata received the north. The others and Kas'yapa Muni he assigned the different corners and the middle Aryavarta portion [The land in India between the Himalaya Mountains and the Vindhya Hills] he gave to the upadrashtha priest who supervises the mantras. The assisting sadasya priests received whatever remained. After sacrifice,he took a bath, he, on the bank of the major stream of Sarasvati, so cleansed of all impurities radiated like a cloudless sun. Because of Paras'urama's worship, Jamadagni regained his body with all the symptoms of consciousness and later became the seventh seer in the constellation of the seven sages. Paras'urama, the son of Jamadagni who is also the Supreme Lord with the lotus petal eyes, will be a propounder of Vedic knowledge in the next period of Manu, oh King . He who in peace with the intelligence has given up the clout, still today can be found in the hills of Mahendra and is worshiped and revered for his character and activities by all the Siddhas, the singers of heaven and the venerable ones.

This is how the Soul of the Universe, the Supreme Lord Hari,who appeared as an incarnation in the Bhrigu dynasty and killed the rulers of man many times, relieved the earth of its great burden.

Suta said: "The great Lord Rudra , who, accompanied by Uma and surrounded by his entourage, traveled through the sky on his bull, saw how Rishi Markandeya was absorbed in deep meditation. Uma observing the seer then said to Giris'a: 'Look at this man of learning, who with his body, senses and mind motionless is as calm as the waters of the ocean when the wind has ceased and the fish remain still. Please, oh you who are the bestower of it, award him the perfection of his penances.'

The mighty Lord said: 'I am sure that the brahmin seer does not desire any benedictions in any field, not even liberation, for he has achieved the devotion unto the Supreme Lord, the Inexhaustible Primal One. Nevertheless Bhavani, let us talk to this pure devotee. It is indeed man's highest achievement to gain the association of saintly souls.' "

Suta said: "Thus having spoken He, the master of all knowledge, the controller of all embodied souls and the shelter of the righteous ones, approached him. Having arrested the functions of his mind, the sage had neither knowledge of himself or the outer world, nor was he aware of the arrival of the two powers of control over the universe in person. Mighty Shiva, the great Lord, understanding that, entered Markandeya's hidden sky of the heart by means of his mystic potency, just like the wind passing through an opening. Shiva appeared inside of him with hair locks blond like lightening, having three eyes and ten arms and rising as high as the sun. Together with a tiger skin He used for his garment, He exhibited his bow and trident, arrows and sword, shield, prayer beads, damaru (a small drum), ax and skull. When he saw him in his heart manifesting suddenly, the sage desisted from his trance and wondered in surprise: 'Who is this and where did he come from?'

Opening his eyes and seeing that Lord Rudra had arrived with his associates and Goddess Uma, the sage bowed his head in deep respect and humility to the Great One,the Guru of the three worlds. He honored him, together with his company and Uma, with words of welcome, sitting places, water for their feet, water to drink, perfumed oil, garlands, incense and lamps. He said: 'Oh mighty one, what can I do for you, oh Lord who pacifies the universe by the full satisfaction of your ecstatic experience? I offer you my deepest respect,You,wo as the Lord of goodness gives pleasure,You,who in contact with the mode of passion,appear most fearful,and You,who also come as the mode of ignorance.' "

Suta said: "Praised by these words he, the mighty Lord, the foremost of all and shelter of the truthful soul, perfectly satisfied and happy-minded addressed him with a smile.The great Lord said: 'Please, choose a boon to your liking, for of all givers of benedictions the three of us ,Lord Brahma,Lord Hari,and Myself,are the Lords by whose infallible audience a mortal being finds immortality. We glorify, worship and assist those who are saintly, peaceful and free from material attachment, who care for all living beings and free from enmity and equal towards all, are of a single-minded devotion unto us. These devotees do not even acknowledge the slightest difference between me, the Infallible One and the One Unborn, nor between themselves or other people and that is why we praise you. Mere bodies of water as holy places and deities on themselves purify the soul only after a long time, but you,and all Great Souls and Devotees, do so by simply being seen. We offer the brahmins our respects! For they are dedicated to Us in the form of the three Vedas ,and they by penances, study and concentration are absorbed in the True Self. Even the greatest sinners and outcasts find purification by seeing you and hearing about you, and what would yet mean when one directly speaks to you?!' "

Suta said: "Thus listening the nectar of words full of the secret of dharma ,of the One decorated with the moon, the sage desired to hear more. He ,who because of Vishnu's maya was terribly exhausted from having wandered for such a long time, had been freed from a great load of trouble by the grace of Lord Shiva's nectarine words and spoke to him. Sri Markandeya said: 'Ah, how inconceivable for embodied souls this pastime is of the great controllers: for such Lords bow down to and offer praise to the very living beings they rule. In general the teachers act by precept and example for the embodied souls to accept the dharma and encourage and praise those who do so. Such an act of humility of the Fortunate One does not compromise the power of His activities formed by His Maya, any more than the tricks of a magician compromise his ability. He who as the Supersoul from His mind ,by Himself in the form of Time, created this universe and subsequently entered it, manifests Himself like being the doer through the operating modes of nature, just like a person witnessing a dream. Let me bow to Him, the Supreme One, who, endowed with the three gunas, is the true Self on top of them. He is the pure, unequaled spiritual master who is the original form of the Absolute Truth. From seeing You a person can achieve whatever he desires, irrespective what. But what other benediction should I desire from you, oh All-pervading Lord whose presence itself is the highest? Nevertheless I would like to ask from you who ,the Complete One, that entails the fulfillment of all wishes, one benediction: the unfailing devotion and love for You,the Supreme and Your Devotees.' "

Suta said: "Thus being worshiped and glorified by the well-spoken words of the sage, the great Lord S'arva, thereto encouraged by his consort, said: 'Oh great sage full of devotion for Adhokshaja, may all your wishes be fulfilled. And may you also till the end of the kalpa enjoy fame, piety and freedom from old age and death. May you have knowledge of the threefold nature of time , oh brahmin,as also wisdom in combination with a free heart. May there for you,being blessed with brahminical potency, be the status of teacher of the Purana.' "

Suta said: "After having granted the sage these blessings he, the Lord with the three eyes, went away, on his way telling the Goddess what Markandeya in the past had accomplished and experienced. He,that best soul of Bhrigu, who had achieved the greatest of the great in yoga, even today demonstrably travels about, on his path of serving the Lord with single-minded devotion.

The honorable king Parikchit said: 'By what means my Lord, do the people living in Kali-yuga eradicate the faults accumulating because of that age? O great sage, please explain this to me.'

S'uka said: "Kali-yuga is known as the age of ignorance, where there is deceit, false testimony, sloth and lethargy, violence, depression, lamentation, delusion, fear and poverty. As a consequence the mortals will be shortsighted, unfortunate, eating too much, lusty and poverty-stricken while the women will act of their own accord and be unchaste. In the populated areas uncivilized people will take high positions and act like thieves, the Vedic scriptures will be slighted by false doctrines [heretics], the political leaders will devour the people and the twice-born souls will be dedicated to their bellies and genitals. The brahmacaris will fail to execute their vows and become unclean, impure in their engagements, the householders will be beggars, the withdrawn souls those who have gone to the forest for austerities will be city-dwellers and the sannyasis will be excessively greedy for wealth. Smaller in size, voracious and having many children, the women will have lost their timidity and constantly speak harshly and with great audacity be as deceitful as thieves. The merchants will indulge in cheating so that their business dealings will be wicked while the people unnecessarily will consider any contemptible occupation,or anything that brings money a good job.Servants will abandon a master who lost his wealth - even if he is the best one around, masters will abandon a handicapped servant - even when he belonged to the family for generations, and cows will be abandoned and killed as soon as they stopped giving milk. They will reject their fathers, brothers, other relatives and friends and will instead associate with the sisters and brothers of their wives. Thus their conception of friendship will be based exclusively on sexual ties. Laborers being dressed up as mendicants of austerity, will accept religious charity to earn their living and mount a high seat to speak about religious matters without any knowledge of dharmic principles. With their minds constantly full of stress, emaciated by famine and taxes in times of scarcity with droughts on the surface of the earth, oh King, the people of Kali-yuga will be troubled by countless worries and live in fear. Lacking in clothing, food, drink, rest, love , bathing and personal ornaments they will appear like ghostly creatures. In the age of Kali one will even over a single coin develop enmity , reject friendly relations, kill oneself and even kill one's relatives. Only interested in the petty service of the stomach and the genitals one, even being born in a respectable family, will not protect the elderly parents, the wife and the children. Oh King, with their minds diverted by atheism the mortals in Kali-yuga in general will not worship the Infallible One, the Bhagavan who is the Supreme Spiritual Master of the three worlds at whose feet the various masters bow down. In Kali-yuga the people do not worship Him, even though He is the One by whom a person, who dying in distress collapsing with a faltering voice helplessly chants His name, is freed from the chains of karma and achieves the freedom from birth and death. The objects,food , places and the individual nature of man are as a result of Kali-yuga all polluted . But when one installs Bhagavan, the Supreme Self in one's heart, He takes all this contamination away.

Of those human beings who but even heard, glorified, meditated, worshiped or venerated the Supreme Lord, the inauspiciousness is cleansed away that from a thousand births accumulated in their hearts. All the impurities of the mind of yoga practitioners are removed when Lord Vishnu has entered their heart. Education, penance, breath control, friendship, bathing in holy waters, vows, charity and praying with prayer beads do not realize as full the purification of the mind as the presence of Him, the Unlimited Lord, in the heart. Therefore oh King, do your utmost best to establish Lord Kes'ava in your heart; the moment you die you will with your attention focussed on Him attain the highest destination. The Supreme Lord meditated upon by those who are dying is the Supreme Controller, the Soul and Shelter of All, who leads them to their true identity my dearest. In the ocean of faults of Kali-yuga, oh King, there is luckily one great good quality: just by singing about and meditating on Krishna's name, one can be liberated from material bondage and achieve beatitude. The same result one achieves in Satya-yuga by meditating on Vishnu, one achieves in Treta-yuga by worshiping with sacrifices and one achieves in Dvapara-yuga by serving the lotus feet, is in Kali-yuga achieved by chanting the names of Lord Hari."

The Great Sage Markandeya Witnessing the Play of the Lord's Bewildering Maya

Sage Suta said: "The Supreme Lord Narayana, Nara's Friend,properly respected by the great Sage Markandeya, , satisfied spoke to the eminent follower of Bhrigu. The Supreme Lord said: 'Oh dear man perfectly absorbed in the soul, you are the best of all brahmin seers for by your austerities, by fixed meditation upon the Self,by undivided devotion,and dedicated study of the Vedas,you never deviated from the service unto Me. We are perfectly satisfied about your steady adherence to the great vow. We wish you all the best. Please choose a benediction to your liking. I am the Giver of All Benedictions you desire.'

The great Rishi said: 'You, oh Lord of Lords, oh Infallible One, are victorious as the Remover of the Distress of the Surrendered Soul. I am perfectly satisfied just having seen Your good Self. Brahma and others with a mind matured in yoga all acquired the sight of Your omnipotent lotus feet and now You in person are visible before my eyes.Nonetheless oh Lotus-eyed Crest Jewel of Fame, I would like to witness your Maya,your great illusory potency.'

Sage Suta said: 'Oh sage S'aunaka, the Supreme Lord, being glorified and worshiped by the rishi to His satisfaction with these words,said with a smile to him 'So be it'. Thereupon the Lord departed for Badarikas'rama.

The rishi remained behind in his hermitage thinking only of that purpose and venerated and meditated under all circumstances on the Lord to the best of his ability , in the fire, the sun, the moon, the water, the earth, the wind, the lightning as also in his heart. Thus immersed in the stream of pure love [prema] he sometimes forgot to prove his respects. Oh best of Bhrigu, when the sage one day was performing his evening worship on the bank of the Pushpabhadra, a great wind arose oh brahmin. It created a terrible sound followed by the appearance of threatening clouds as solid as wagon wheels that resounded loudly with lightning and havy rain everywhere. Then from all sides the four oceans appeared that engulfed the surface of the earth with wind-tossed waves,in which there were terrible sea monsters and fearful whirlpools accompanied by ominous sounds.Perplexed the sage became afraid seeing how the earth flooded and all the inhabitants of the universe [as born from moist, seed, embryos and eggs] including himself, inside and outside were plagued by the fierce winds, the bolts of lightning and the great waves of water rising higher than the sky. Before his eyes the water of the great ocean was swirled around by hurricanes in frightening waves as it swelled with the rain from the clouds and covered the entire earth with its continents, islands and mountains. With the three worlds, the earth, outer space, the celestial bodies and heavenly places flooded in all directions the great sage, as the only soul remaining, wandered about like a dumb and blind person, with his matted locks scattered.

Suffering hunger and thirst, attacked by monstrous crocodiles and whale-eaters and plagued by the winds he, tormented by the waves, moved about in the infinite darkness he had fallen into, overcome by fatigue and not knowing which direction of the sky or the earth he went. Sometimes drowning in a great whirlpool and then beaten by the waves he was threatened by monsters that tried to eat him the one moment and the other moment were attacking each other. In distress he sometimes felt sick and suffered pains with occasional depressions, bewilderment, misery, unhappiness and happiness, while fearing for his life at other times.

Countless and countless, hundreds and thousands of years passed with him in bewilderment wandering around in that Maya, that deluding material energy of Vishnu.

One day, as he was roaming about there, the twice-born soul spotted upon a raised mound of earth a beautiful young banyan tree with fruits and blossoms. Upon a branch of it toward the northeast he saw an infant boy lying within the fold of a leaf swallowing the darkness with His effulgence. Amazed,the king among the scholars, stared at His complexion,that was as blue as a great emerald, His beautiful lotus face, His conch shell-striped throat, His broad chest, fine nose and beautiful eyebrows. His splendid hairs trembled to His breath, His beautiful shell-shaped ears resembled pomegranate flowers, His coral lips by their effulgence slightly reddened the nectarean charming smile on his face and the corners of His eyes were reddish like the whorl of a lotus. His breathing moved the lines of His abdomen contorted by His deep leaf like navel and he saw how the infant with the graceful fingers of His two hands grabbed one of His lotus feet and placed it in His mouth. When he saw the baby his weariness was dispelled instantly and out of pleasure the lotus of his heart and his lotus eyes spread wide open. With his hair standing on end he asked himself who that wonderful appearance could be and went straight for the child to find an answer.

That very moment the man of Bhrigu with a breath of the infant was drawn into His body like a mosquito whereupon he utterly surprised stood perplexed to see from that position the entire universe the way it was before. He saw the entire expanse of all the stars, the mountains and oceans, the directions of the great islands and continents, the enlightened and unenlightened souls, the forests, countries, rivers, cities and mines, the peasant villages, the cow pastures and the various engagements of the varnas'rama society. Of this universe being manifested as real he saw the basic elements of nature and all their gross manifestations as also the Time itself in the form of the different yugas and kalpas and whatever other object of use in material life. In front of the universe seeing the Himalayas, the Pushpabhadra river and his hermitage,where he had met the rishis Nara and Narayana, he was by the breath of the infant thrown outside again and fell back into the ocean of dissolution. And there, on the raised stretch of land in the water where the banyan grew, was the child again lying in the fold of its leaf, glancing at him with a nectarean smile of love from the corner of His eyes. Placing the vision of the infant within his heart he greatly excited ran to embrace the Lord of the Beyond.

That very instant He, the Supreme Lord, the master of yoga in person who is hidden in the heart of all living beings, suddenly became invisible to the rishi,just as the achievements of an incompetent person can suddenly vanish. Oh brahmin, following Him immediately also the banyan disappeared and the waters of the annihilation of the world,and he found himself in front of his as'rama as before."

The Supreme Lord said: 'Having acquired this human body in which I can be realized, one achieves, following and living My dharma, Me, the Supreme Soul of Spiritual Happiness,The Self situated in the heart. Someone who fixed in jnana has become free from the cause of material life that is based upon the products of the modes, does not get deceived by these qualities, despite of being surrounded by them; although present before his eyes they are insubstantial and nothing but illusion to him. One should never at any time seek the company of the people grossly entangled in material life,who are only devoted to the gratification of their genitals and bellies, because they who follow such people will fall into the darkest pit, like a blind man following another blind man. The descendant of Ila, the well-known great emperor, sang the following mighty song when he ,bewildered by separatation from Urvas'i, in resignation managed to restrain his grief. The moment she abandoned him and left, he naked, crying like a madman, ran after her calling out: 'Oh my wife, oh you terrible woman, please stop!' His mind was in such measure possessed by Urvas'i,for he many years gratified his lusts, and never completely satisfied, did not notice the nights coming and going.'

Purrava said: 'Just see how bewildered I got! With my consciousness possesed by lust I, in the embrace of this goddess, did not notice my life time passing. I had no idea whether the sun was rising or setting and was, thus spending my days, alas robbed by lust of countless years. Oh what a pity this total bewilderment of mine is,because of which the body of this mighty emperor, this crown jewel of kings, became a toy for women driven only by animal insticts! When she abandoned me, the mighty controller, together with all of my kingdom as if I were a blade of grass, I ran crying naked like a madman after her. Where is now my the influence, strength and sovereignty? I ran after this woman leaving me, just like an ass with the hoof being kicked for punishment! What is the use of knowledge, austerities, renunciation, the scriptures or of solitude and silence for the one whose mind is stolen by women? To hell with me,the fool I am, not knowing what his best interest would be; I who thought to be a scholar in achieving the position of a lord and controller but who, just like a bullock or ass, was conquered by a bad woman! For so many years serving Urvas'i's lips I, with the lust born from my mind, never got enough of the nectar, just like a fire one can never satisfy with oblations. Who else but the Innerly Satisfied Lord of the Sages, the Supreme Lord Beyond the Senses, can free someone else who lost his mind with a promiscuous woman? Out of control with myself being dull-minded ,I saw no end to my confusion, even though the goddess Urvas'i herself eloquently gave me advice. What would she have done wrong to a 'seer' like me who if i had notion of my real nature,but i took a rope for a snake? I am the one out of control with his senses is it not? What does this filthy body, unclean, full of bad odors, have to offer; what are those 'pleasing qualities' and so on anyway? They constitute an influence originating from ignorance! One can never tell whether this body belongs to one's parents, wife or employer, to fire, the dogs and jackals or to the soul or one's friends. One gets attached to this unholy matter and praises it, in shape of a woman, for having such a cute nose, beautiful smile and face, but one heads with it for the lowest destination. In what sense would one differ from worms when one enjoys that what is composed of skin, flesh, blood, muscle, fat, marrow and bone, urine, stool and pus? A man understanding what's best for him, should never run after such women or associate with men thus engaged, for the sole reason that the mind united with the senses reaches for sense objects and thus gets agitated. Because a thing not heard or seen,not being in ones nearest presence, gives no rise to mental agitation, the mind of someone not engaging his senses becomes fixed and pacified. When not even wise men can rely on the six enemies [lust, anger, greed, bewilderment, intoxication and envy], then what about persons like me? One therefore should not get sensorily attached to women or to men attached to lust.'

The Supreme Lord said: 'He, the worshipable lord of gods and men, who thus sang his song of complaint, then gave up the realm of Urvas'i (being on the same level). Realizing Me, the Supersoul in his heart, he with the jnana found peace within himself and ended his illusion. An intelligent person having abandoned bad association therefore should be fixed on Saints,Wise Ones, for only by their words he can cut off the deep attachment of his mind. Saintly Ones with their minds fixed on Me do not depend on lusts, and are, with an equal minded vision, completely peaceful and free from possessiveness, false ego, the dualities and greed. Oh most fortunate one, these greatly fortunate Souls are constantly discussing My stories that have the power to completely eradicate the sins of anyone who chooses for them. They who, faithfully dedicated to Me, hear, chant and respectfully take My stories to heart, will attain My bhakti. What else would there remain to be accomplished for a Sadhu,once his heart is dedicated to Me,once the love grows in his heart,for Me, the One of Countless Qualities who is the Absolute Truth,which is only true and lasting happiness? Just as cold, fear and darkness will dissipate for the one who resorts to the supreme grace of fire, similarly dullness, apprehension and ignorance will dissolve for someone who serves the Saints. For those who submerge and again rise in the fearful ocean of material life, the Saintly Ones, peaceful in understanding the Absolute, constitute a supreme shelter as good as a life boat for people drowning in the water. They constitute the refuge of those afraid to fall down, as good as food is there to grant the living beings their life,and I exist as the shelter for the distressed.

The Sages grant you the divine eyes,while the sun only shows the external world after having risen; they are the worshipable ones, one's true relatives, they are, like Me as well one's own Self actually.

Pururava, who for that reason no longer desired to be in the same realm as Urvas'i anymore, then liberated from all attachment, innerly satisfied wandered this earth.'

To our good fortune the two of You have killed the sinful Kamsa as also his brothers and followers. Thus delivering Your dynasty from endless troubles You have made it prosperous. You two are the Origin and the Source. You are the causes of the universe,that are one with the universe and there is not a thing,here or beyond, which exists apart from You. This universe You created from Your energies, You have subsequently entered. Thus You can be perceived in the many forms, oh Absolute Truth, that we know about from listening to the scriptures and by direct experience. Just as the earth element and the other elements differently manifest themselves in various species of living mobile and immobile beings, You, the Single One Self-reliant Self, the Supreme, manifest in a multitude within those different life forms. You create, maintain and then again destroy the universe with the qualities of Your potencies: the passion, the goodness and the ignorance [the gunas], but You are not bound to those actions or their modes. For what could be a cause of bondage for You, who are the Soul of All Knowledge? All these apparent material coverings,as our bodies,and similar,do not exists for the Supreme Soul,so there could not be any actual birth or death,and with it no duality,nor bondage or liberation. All this happen by Your sweet will only,because of our erroneous discrimination. For the benefit of this universe You proclaim the classical path of the Veda and assume forms in the mode of goodness, the very moment the path is obstructed by wicked persons adhering to godlessness. You as that very same person, oh Master, have now descended in the home of Vasudeva,together with Balarama. This You have done in order to spread the fame of the Yadu dynasty and to relieve the earth's burden by killing hundreds of armies led by kings who are expansions of the demigods' enemies. Today oh Lord, our residence has been most blessed by the arrival of You, Adhokshaja, the Spiritual Master of the Universe who are the embodiment of all the gods, forefathers, living beings and humans. The water that has washed Your feet purifies the three worlds. What other scholar would there be for us? To whom else should we turn for shelter but to You, the well-wisher whose loving words for His devotees are always faithful? For,grateful to the supporters who worship You, You give all that they desire, even Yourself with whom there is never any diminution or increase. How great is our fortune ,having You,O Janardana before our eyes,who even for the masters of yoga and the most prominent among the enlightened ones,are a goal hard to attain. Please swiftly cut through the ties of our delusional existence,our attachment to our children, wife, wealth, honorable friends, our home, body and so on.All such attachment is simply the effect of Your Maya only.'

S'uka said: 'He,The Eternal Being, with the conch, the club, the lotus and the disc in His four hands, the yellow dress and the lotus petal eyes, He whose heroic acts are praised by Brahma, consequently manifested Himself from Aditi. He with a pure, blackish complexion, the luster of two earrings in the form of sharks and a dazzling lotus face, was the Supreme One marked by the S'rivatsa mark on His chest and wearing bracelets and armlets, a shining helmet, a belt, a sacred thread and charming ankle bells. With a swarm of sweetness seeking humming bees around Him and carrying an extraordinarily beautiful flower garland and the Kaustubha gem around His neck, the Lord vanquished the darkness of Kas'yapa's house with His effulgence. At that moment everything was filled with happiness, all living beings in the waters, in the mountains, in the higher worlds, in outer space and on earth. The demigods, the cows, the brahmaṇas and the hills and mountains were all filled with joy. When the Lord took His birth it was a most auspicious moment: all the planets and stars, the sun and moon stood in a favorable position. It happened on Dvadas'i [the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadra] at noon [Abhijit] when the moon was in the house of S'ravana. Oh King, this exact moment of the appearance of the Lord with the sun over the meridian, is the day the scholars call Vijaya. The loud sounds of the different conches, drums, kettledrums, panavas, anakas [other drums] and other instruments that were vibrated, became a great tumult. The heavenly dancing girls danced blissfully, the leading celestial singers sang and the sages, the demigods, the fathers of mankind, the ancestors and the fire gods all pleased the Lord with prayers. The perfected ones, the ones of knowledge, the apelike ones [the warriors of Rama], the ones of superpower, the venerable ones, the treasure keepers, the benevolent ones, the reciters [the 'brothers of Garuda'], the greatest experts [the 'snakes'] and all the followers of the demigods, glorifying, dancing and praising covered the residence of Aditi with flowers. When Aditi saw Him, the Supreme One who had been conceived in happiness and had taken birth from her womb, she was struck with wonder about the fact that He from His own spiritual potency had assumed a body. Also Kas'yapa greatly amazed about it exclaimed: 'All glory! [jaya!]'

The Lord's body complete with ornaments and weapons cannot be seen,but for the divine purpose it was manifested by Him,acting like an actor in a theater and could be seen in the form of a dwarf boy Vamana. Seeing the Lord as a brahmacari dwarf made the great rishis very happy and thus they performed, with the founding father Kas'yapa as their lead, all the ceremonies. At the sacred thread ceremony of Vamanadeva, the Sun-god personally uttered the Gayatri mantra, Brihaspati gave the sacred thread and Kas'yapa offered Him a belt [of straw, signifying the twice-born status]. Mother earth offered Him a deerskin, the Moon gave Him a staff, Aditi gave Him underwear to cover His body and from the ruler of heaven [Indra] the master of the universe received a parasol. The Lord Brahma gave a waterpot, the seven sages donated kus'a grass and the goddess Sarasvati gave the Imperishable Soul a string of rudraksha beads, oh King. Thus having received His sacred thread, the Ruler of the Yakshas Kuvera, the treasurer of heaven, delivered a pot for begging alms and Uma, the chaste mother of the universe, the wife of S'iva, personally provided the alms. He as a brahmacari thus being welcomed by everyone, outshone with his brahmin effulgence as the best of them the entire assembly that enjoyed the grace of all the great brahmin sages. After kindling a fire as should, He like the best of the brahmins strew the kus'a grass around it and fed the fire of worship with wood.

As soon as He heard about the glory of Bali,as someone who under the guidance of Bhrigu brahmins performs horse sacrifices, He headed for the location where they took place and with each step that He as the Complete and Fully Endowed Essence made on His way, He therewith imprinted the earth with His footsteps. iAt the northern bank of the Narmada river in the field of Bhrigukaccha where all the priests of Bhrigu were performing their rituals for the sake of the ultimate ceremony, they saw Him in their presence radiating like the risen sun. The priests as also Bali, the instigator of the yajna and all who had assembled there, were overshadowed by Lord Vamana's splendor, oh King and wondered whether they saw the sun rising, the god of fire or Sanat-kumara who wanted to attend their ceremony. While the Bhrigus were thus with their disciples disputing in various ways, the Supreme Lord Vamana with in His hands His umbrella, rod and kamandalu filled with water, entered the arena of the As'vamedha sacrifice. The moment Vamana, the learned, seemingly human child that was the Lord, with His munja belt of straw and the sacred thread around His waist, His deerskin upper garment and His matted locks of hair, arrived there and was seen by the priests of Bhrigu with their disciples, they all stood up from their engagement in the fire sacrifice and appropriately welcomed the One who with His brilliance outshone them all. The instigator of the sacrifice, delighted to see Him so beautiful in each of His lustrous limbs, offered Him a seat. The Beauty of the Liberated Souls was thereupon with words of welcome worshiped by Bali Maharaja who honored Him by washing His feet. The water washing from His feet washes away the sins of all people. Bali knew the dharma and placed on his head the all-auspicious water that also the god of gods, Lord S'iva who is marked with the emblem of the moon, in his supreme devotion had accepted on His head.'

Sri Bali said: 'We welcome You. My obeisances unto You, oh brahmin. What can we do for You? Oh noble soul, in my opinion You are the austerity of the brahmin seers in person. The arrival of Your lordship today at our residence, satisfies all our forefathers, it purifies the entire family and completes the sacrifice we are performing now! Today oh brahmin son, my fires of sacrifice are properly served according to the injunctions. Oh, by the water that washed from Your lotus feet all my sins are destroyed and by Your small feet the earth is purified. Whatever it is that You desire oh brahmacari, You may take from me, be it a cow, gold, a furnished residence, palatable food and drink or else a brahmin's daughter, prospering villages, horses, elephants or chariots, oh best of the worshipable ones. As far as I am concerned You may have whatever You wish.'

Greatly pleased, the dwarf answered that Bali's speech was worthy of him and his race, wherein no one was known to have lacked generosity or broken a promise. He remembered the host's grandfather Prahlada, who was a perfect model in the practice of dharma, and his great-grandfather Hiranyakasipu, whose renowned valour made even Lord Vishnu run away from Vaikuntha and, it was said, finding no place where He could hide, entered the nostril of the pursuer himself, where alone He felt Himself safe, and concluded with:

'Like your celebrated forefather, you have, O King, been foremost in the observance of the rules of dharma and lavish charity. Of you, the great giver, I ask a small bit of land which measures not more than three of my own (dwarfish) paces: for to take more than he needs the wise man transgresses.'

The ridiculous pettiness of the demand greatly amused Bali, who could not resist reminding his guest that he was too young to be alive to his interest in asking for such a tiny bit when he could have a whole continent, and added that now that he was disposed to be generous, Vamana could take as much land as would secure him a decent living.

'The possession of all the three worlds cannot satisfy a man of unrestrained ambition. He who cannot be satisfied with three paces will not be satisfied with a whole continent. Prithu, Gaya and other kings who ruled over all the seven continents could never have enough, so great was their greed. The contented person can easily live on what chance places at his disposal. The hunger for wealth and sense-enjoyment is responsible for rebirth, whereas contentment inherits the great treasures of Liberation. I ask, therefore, O Protector of men, for only three paces of land which will cover my bare necessity.'

Bali laughed and, pouring water in the palm of one hand, he pronounced his solemn promise to grant the gift demanded. Sukracharya warned Bali against this grant, the pettiness of which appeared to him to be very ominous. It might conceal a serious design on the part of Vishnu Himself to dispossess the asuras in favour of the celestials. He foresaw what was actually to take place and advised Bali to retract, which, he said, was legitimate to do when one's life and the lives of one?s dependants were exposed to grave danger. But Bali was not prepared to go back on his pledged word and, with great respect to his preceptor, magnanimously answered:

'It is true, O worshipful Brahmin, that a householder must not part with his means of livelihood; but, having promised, I cannot be guilty of breach of promise to a holy Brahmin, like a base swindler, out of greed. I do not fear hell, poverty, loss of throne or even death as much as I fear playing false to a Brahmin. In any case all the wealth in the world has to be abandoned at death. Time has taken away all the enjoyments of the daityas (my forefathers), who owned the whole universe, but could not extinguish their fame as heroes, who had never known what retreating in battle was. The fame of the magnanimous man who gives away all his fortune to needy supplicants, more so to knowers of Brahman, like your good self and this dwarf, and turns poor is far greater than even that of warriors, who lay down their lives on the battlefield. I will give to the Brahmin the land promised, be He Lord Vishnu Himself Whom we daily worship, or an enemy.'

Sukracharya got very enraged at Bali's disobedience and, impelled by destiny, cursed him in the words, 'Because you have shown arrogance to me your guru, you shall, O fool, soon fall from your royal splendour,' which did not in the least deflect Bali's resolve to grant the promised gift. He washed the feet of Vamana from a golden vessel of water, which his queen herself had carried for the purpose. All the celestials applauded the magnanimity of Bali and showered celestial flowers on him. They beat their drums and sang hymns in his praise. But lo! the dwarf started expanding at such a rate that in a little time he filled all the spheres. Bali and his priests were staggered to see the whole creation in his body and, when he started measuring the three paces, he covered the whole earth and the cardinal points with one. His second covered swarga and stretched to the highest satyaloka, leaving no room for his third pace. There rose a great outcry among the daityas and the danavas at the deceit of Vamana, who proved a traitor to their cause, and rushed with weapons to attack him, but Vamana's attendants gave them a good beating and Bali, remembering the curse of his guru, knew that his fall was inevitable. He ordered his followers to retreat, saying that Vishnu, who had brought him to power by the Viswajit sacrifice was now standing against him, because time was now favourable to the celestials and advised them to wait patiently when time will turn in their favour and they will have the upper hand. The righteous Bali was bound by ropes and taken prisoner, to the sorrow of both the gods and the asuras.

Lord Vamana charged Bali with perjury for having promised three paces of ground but gave only two, and sentenced him to imprisonment in the nether regions. Bali bore the sentence with equanimity and calmly answered:

'I did not intend, O Illustrious Lord, to deceive You. You have taken everything I possess, yet if You think that I owe You some more space for Your third step, You may be pleased to place it on my head. Fallen that I am, I am not afraid of the infernal regions nor of the loss of my kingdom, nor of any punishment, which the Great may deem fit to inflict on me. You now pose as our enemy, but I know You to be our greatest benefactor - You Who have blessed us with a vision of Yourself on the pretence of causing our downfall, having had which vision many an asura attained Liberation. In his profound wisdom my illustrious grandfather Prahlada, of universal fame, suffered all the variety of torture to preserve his firm devotion to You, although You exterminated his kinsmen the asuras, knowing full well that no lasting benefit can be gained from relatives who are disposed to rob one of one's wealth, or from wife who is the cause of transmigration, or even from one's own body which abandons one at death. How good is my destiny to bring me in direct contact with You, disguised as enemy though You may be!'

Suddenly Prahlada appeared and prostrated himself before the Lord and with tears of joy addressed Him:

'O Lord, it was by You that the exalted office of Indra was conferred on Bali and by you that it has now been taken away. Whatever You do is always for one's good. Especially the taking away of one's possessions which usually corrupt the mind, must be deemed to be a great favour: for no man of wealth can make any attempt to seek his true nature. Even men of learning fall victims to delusion if they are wealthy. Hail to You, Lord of the universe and Witness of all things!'

Brahma, who also arrived, interceded on Bali's behalf. The glorious Lord replied:

'Whomever I want to favour with My Grace I divest him of his fortune - the fortune which hardens the heart against living beings and against Me. If pride of lineage, wealth, physical graces, learning and power do not appear in the man who owns them, it must be considered as a favour from Me. My devotee who deserves these advantages is not corrupted by them as the foolish man is.

'This leader of the daityas and danavas (Bali) has already conquered My invincible Maya, which is the reason why he is unperturbed by the calamity which has befallen him and stood firm by his promise even at the great cost of disobeying his guru and suffering his curse. He deserves to dwell in My own Vaikuntha, but he will have first to occupy the seat of Indra under My guardianship in the next Manvantara (the eighth) of Savarni Manu, ruling in the meantime Sutalaloka, whose natural beauty has been enhanced by the art of Viswakarma, the celestial architect, where no anxiety, disease, fatigue, disappointment and other afflictions exist.

'O great Indrasena (Bali, Indra elect), may you flourish! Go now with your kinsmen to Sutala, which is envied even by the celestials, where none can harm you. My discus will destroy the daityas who will disobey your command and will protect you, your followers, and all your possessions. You will shed your demoniacal dispositions at the sight of My glory, which will be ever present there.'

Maitreya said: 'After all the demigods by the soldiers of Rudra were defeated they, wounded all over their bodies, together with all the priests and other members of the assembly in great fear offered Lord Brahma their obeisances and reported the events to him in detail. Knowing beforehand of the certainty of these events, the Lord born from the lotus flower and Narayana, the Supersoul of the entire universe , had not attended Daksha's sacrifice. Hearing what had happened Lord Brahma said: 'A great personality has been offended and that is, given the wish to live in peace, generally not conducive for well-being. Despite having committed these offenses in denying Lord S'iva his share of the offerings, you will all quickly find his mercy when you, without any reservations, satisfy him by taking shelter of his lotus feet. Do not think you can continue with the sacrifice without forthwith begging for the pardon of the god of all worlds and their controllers you have angered; being deprived of his wife, his heart was most upset by the unkind words spoken to him. Neither I, nor Indra, nor all of you and others who have a material body, nor even the sages who know the real extent of his strength and power, have an inkling of what it means to dare to offend Him who relies on the soul only.'(see 'Sati quits Her body'-http://www.arunachala-ramana.org/forum/index.php?topic=8322.msg77848#msg77848 )

After thus having instructed the godly souls Lord Brahma went away,and took all the demigods, the Pitas and the lords of the living entities with him and left to the abode of Lord S'iva, Kailasa, the best of all mountains that is so dear to the master.The place, enjoyed by Kinnaras, Gandharvas, and Apsaras ,the residents and singers of heaven and their wives,is populated by the Siddhas who differ from other people because they are gifted by birth, by austerity, by their use of herbs or by practicing mantras in yoga. The mountain rangeis replete with all kinds of precious stones and minerals and is grown by trees, creepers and a diversity of other plants. The mountain peaks with their crystal clear waterfalls have various caves pleasing to the wives of the mystics who sport there with their husbands. Resounding with the cries of peacocks and the humming of bees mad about the nectar, there is the continuous song of cuckoos and chirping of other birds. By the elephants moving around the mountain itself seems to be moving, by the sounds of the waterfalls the mountain itself seems to resound and by the trees that yield to all desires the mountain seems to be stretching its arms calling for the birds. It is further beautified by mandara, parijata, sarala (pine) and tamala trees, s'ala and tala, kovidara, ?sana and arjuna trees, cutas (mango), kadambas, dhuli-kadambas and nagas, punnagas and campakas and one also sees there trees like pathalas, as'okas, bakulas, kundas and kurabakas. It is also adorned with golden colored lotuses, the cinnamon tree, kubja, mallika and madhavi. With kata, jackfruit, julara and banyan trees, plakshas, nyagrodhas and trees producing asafoetida, there are also betelnut trees, pugas, rajapugas and jambus [black berries and alike],bamboos and many other. All sorts of colorful lotuses cover the lakes of the forests that, filled with the sweet whispers of flocks of birds, harbor deer, monkeys, boars, cats, bears, s'alyakas, forest cows and asses, tigers, smaller deer and buffaloes and such. It is enjoyed by different types of deer and has groups of banana trees near the sandy banks of the beautiful hillside lakes filled with lotuses. The devoted souls saw the waters of lake Alakananda still carrying the flavor of Sati who bathed there and they were struck with wonder seeing that beautiful mountain of the Lord of Ghosts. There at Alaka ['uncommonly beautiful'] they saw the region with the forest full of fragrance, that carried that name because of the species of lotus flowers one finds there. The two rivers the Nanda and Alakananda flowing close to the abode of the Master, were supremely sanctified because of the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord. Dear ruler, in these two rivers the celestial damsels descended from their dwellings to play there after making love to their husbands and splatter each other with the water. The two streams having turned yellow because of the kunkum powder make the elephants and their females who take a bath there to drink from the water, despite not being thirsty. The heavenly homes enjoyed by the wives of the virtuous souls were bedecked with countless valuable jewels, pearls and gold, that made them look like clouds in the sky brightened by flashes of lightening.

Passing through the Saugandhika forest that was so attractive with its variety of trees yielding to all desires with its flowers, fruits and leaves, they reached the abode of the Lord of the Yakshas. There they saw the beauty of many birds with red necks whose sounds mixed with the humming of bees as also lakes filled with lotus flowers attractive to groups of swans. The breeze of the sandalwood trees made the wild elephants flock together and continuously stimulated the minds of the wives of the virtuous souls. The staircases leading to the bathing places full of lotuses that were used by the ones faithful to the divine personality [the Kimpurushas], were made of vaidurya stone. Having seen them they nearby spotted a banyan tree. At a height of thousands of feet it spread out its branches over a quarter of the foot of the mountain, casting a fine cooling shadow. It had no birds nesting in it.

Underneath the tree the godly souls saw Lord S'iva,a Great S,age the shelter of many desiring liberation, who, in having given up his wrath, sat there as grave as eternal time. Saintly liberated souls like the Kumaras headed by Sanandana and Kuvera, the master of the Guhyakas and Rakshasas, sat there worshipful around the solemn and serene Lord. They saw him there as the Master of the senses, the knowledge of austerity and the Greatest Yogi; as the friend of the entire world who with his Love and Devotion is a blessing to everyone. One could recognize him as the one desired by the ascetics: with ashes, a staff, matted hair, seated on an antelope skin, the reddish hue of his body and the crescent moon on his head. With a mattress of darbha straw below him he, before an audience of all sages, conversed with N?aada about eternality and the Absolute Truth. He had placed his left foot over his right thigh and, with his right hand resting on his knee, holding his prayer beads, he gesticulated in argument. Thus leaning with his knee fixed and absorbed in the trance of spiritual bliss He, as the first thinker among the wise, received there the respects of the other sages and rulers of the different worlds who had folded their hands. But when Lord S'iva saw that the self born one, Lord Brahma, had arrived accompanied by the best of the enlightened and unenlightened, he whose feet were worshiped,stood up and bowed his head just like Vishnu did when He as Vamanadeva welcomed Kas'yapa. And so did the other perfected souls and great rishis who from all sides followed the example of their Lord and offered their obeisances. After that tribute to Lord S'iva, Lord Brahma addressed Him with a smile.

Brahma said: 'I know you as the Controller of the entire manifestation of the cosmic creation, as the potency of both the seed [of the father] and the womb [of the mother] and as the one auspicious and Supreme who is immaterial and free from change. The way a spider manages its web, oh Fortunate One, you create, maintain and destroy this universe with the embodiment of your auspicious energy. In order to protect the benefits of dharma and artha [religion and economy] you empowered Daksha to realize the system of sacrifices and settle the respect for that what binds the people and to which the brahmins are vowed with the highest regard. Oh auspicious one, the deeds of him who strives to do good lead to the higher worlds, the heavens and the transcendental realm, while someone of inauspicious deeds awaits a ghastly hell. How can it be that for some these results turn out exactly opposite [with the good ones suffering and the bad ones prospering]? Among devotees, who in full surrender at your feet perfectly recognize you as present in all kinds of living beings and who - from the Supreme position - make no difference between living beings, one practically never finds the anger that one does find among animalistic types of people. Persons who observe everything with differentiation, who are simply attached to fruitive activities, who are mean-minded,who cannot tolerate it when others are faring well and thus are always angry with others and thus give distress to them by uttering harsh and piercing words have already been killed by providence. They do not need to be killed by you. When materialists at some places, being bewildered by the insurmountable, illusory energy of the Great Blue One [the Lord as Pushkaranabha] see matters of right and wrong differently, saintly persons out of their compassion will never use their prowess against them but be merciful instead, for everything is arranged by fate.

Oh Lordship, since the intelligence of you, the seer and knower of all, is never affected by that great potency of the material energy of the Supreme One [Maya], you in this case should strive to have mercy with those who are bewildered at heart because of that same illusory energy that attracts them to karmic activities. My dear Lord Siva, you are a shareholder of a portion of the sacrifice, and you are the giver of the result. The bad priests did not deliver your share, and therefore you destroyed everything, and the sacrifice remains unfinished. Now you can do the needful and take your rightful share. Let the performer Daksha get his life back, let Bhagadeva get his eyes back, let Bhrigu grow his mustache back and let Pusa have his row of teeth as before. Let the God-conscious souls whose limbs were broken and the priests who suffered from the weapons and stones, this very moment by your grace, oh angered one, recover from their injuries. Oh Rudra, let the portion of whatever is left of this sacrifice be yours, my dear Lord, so that the sacrificial ceremony today can be completed, oh destroyer of the yajna.'

Vidura asked: 'Oh brahmin, please clarify what happened when the Pracetas met Lord S'iva on their path, as also what the Lordship,who was so pleased with them,has said. Oh best among the scholars, in this world being caught in a physical body it rarely happens that one finds association with Lord S'iva. Even sages who, with Him as their object of desire, fully detached are engaged in meditation fail in this. Although he is satisfied within himself, the great Lord S'iva, when he manifests in this world for the matter of helping its existence, everywhere and is accompanied by his dangerous Shaktis[like those of Kali, Durga ...].'

Maitreya said: 'The sons of father Pracinabarhi,all in full surrender,serious in their hearts about doing penances, accepting the words of their father piously on their heads had left in the western direction. They reached a very large expanse of water as vast as the nearby ocean with water that, as clear as the mind of a great soul, constituted a pleasure to its inhabitants. In that water a multitude of red and blue, kahlara and indivara lotuses was found and swans, cranes, ducks and other birds sung beautifully. Mad bumblebees joyfully hummed loudly with their little hairy bodies. It was a festival of creepers, trees and lotuses the pollen of which by the wind was spread in all directions. All the princes were amazed about the beautiful heavenly music accompanied by drums and kettle drums that could be heard there continually.

That very moment they witnessed how the chief of the demigods [Lord Shiva], came out of the water accompanied by an association of great souls who glorified Him. Seeing His golden hue, His bodily features, His blue throat, three eyes and merciful beautiful face, they all aroused, filled with admiration, offered their obeisances. He who dispels all dangers, the Great Lord and caretaker of the religion, then talked to them, pleased as He was with their observance of the principles in the past, their gentle behavior and their good manners. Lord Rudra said: 'Oh all of you sons of King Pracinabarhi, knowing your actions and desires, I wish you all the best and in order to prove you my mercy, I therefore grant you my presence. Any living being, any individual soul so one says, who surrenders directly to Vasudeva, the Bhagavan and transcendental controller of the three modes, is very dear to me. When someone for the time of a hundred lives is fixed on his duty, he acquires the position of Brahma and when he also does not fail to serve the Supreme Lord, he thereafter will attain Me. Devotees of Lord Vishnu at the end of time attain a position like the one of Me or the demigods.You devotees are for that reason as dear to me as the Supreme Lord Himself, just as apart from Him there is no one else as dear to the devotees as I am. In particular this what I am going to tell you now, is what you always should attend to and repeat for yourselves, for it is very pure, auspicious, transcendental and beneficial.'

Maitreya said: 'With a heart full of compassion Lord S'iva,Bhagavan and the greatest devotee of Narayana, spoke the following words to the princes who with folded hands stood before him.

Lord Rudra said: 'All glories unto You, the best of all self-realized souls who brings happiness for the welfare of all. Let there be my obeisances unto You, for You are the all-perfect and worshipable soul of all, the Supersoul. All my respects unto You Vasudeva, from whose navel the lotus sprouted. You are the source of the senses and the sense objects and the immutable self-illumined state that is of an eternal peace. I offer my obeisances also to You in the form of Sankarshana [the Lord of ego and integration] who as the origin of the subtle non-manifest matter is the unsurpassable master of disintegration at the end of time, and to the master of all development,in the form of the soul in the beyond Pradyumna [the master of intelligence]. All glories to You, I offer my respects again unto You as Aniruddha [Lord of the mind], the Master of the senses. My obeisances unto the Supreme One of perfect purity and completeness who stands apart from this material creation. Unto You as the heavenly abode, the path of liberation, the gateway of the eternal and the purest of the pure, my obeisances. All my respects I offer unto You, the golden semen, who are the continuity of the Vedic sacrifices. Be praised, oh You who invigorate the ancestors and the gods, oh master of the three Vedas and the sacrifices. You are the leading deity of the moon who pleases everyone. All my respects unto You, the Supersoul pervading all living beings. The strength and power of all that exists, the body and Transcendental Self of the diversity of the material world [the virath rupa] and the maintainer of the three worlds, I offer my obeisances.All glories to You who, as the ether, You, the within and without, the Supreme effulgence. My obeisances unto You as the One beyond death and the purpose of all pious activities. Unto You, the God of the forefathers, unto You as the final outcome of all fruitive action and as death itself, You, the cause of all sorts of misery resulting from irreligion, I offer my respects. Because You are the topmost bestower of benedictions, the mastermind of all mantras, the causal self, I offer You my respects. All glory to You as the greatest of all religiosity, unto You, Krishna, who are the perfection of intelligence. You are the oldest of the old, the Original Personality and master of yogic analysis. The reservoir of the three energies, the reason of the material identification of the soul [the egotism] and the embodiment of knowledge, intention and the voice of all powers, I offer my obeisances.

Please show us who desire Your presence, the form that to the satisfaction of all the senses of the devotees is worshiped by them as the dear most. As glistening as the rain from the dense clouds during the rainy season, You are the summit of all beauty. Beautiful are the features of Your four-handed form, of the greatest is Your pleasant face, Your eyes are as beautiful as the petals in the whorl of a lotus flower, beautiful are Your eyebrows, straight nose, shining teeth, high forehead and the full decoration of Your face and equally beautiful perfect ears.The beauty of Your merciful smile and sidelong glances, Your curly hair and clothing in the saffron color of the lotus, is supported by the glittering earrings and shiny helmet, the bangles, necklace, ankle bells, belt, conch shell, disc, club, and lotus flower, garland and the best of pearls, that make You look still more beautiful. The shoulders under Your coils of hair that are like those of a lion and Your neck, fortunate of bearing the jewel glittering on Your chest [named Kaustubha], give You a never decreasing beauty that exceeds the beauty of the streaks of gold on every norm or touchstone. Your inhaling and exhaling stirs beautifully the folds in Your belly that looks like a banana leaf, and Your navel is like the spiraling of the galaxy. The dark color of the skin below Your waist is extra attractive with the beauty of Your dress and golden belt as also with, lower situated, the great symmetrical beauty of Your lotus feet, calves and thighs. By the so very pleasing lotus feet, that are like the petals of a lotus flower in autumn,You drive away all the trouble agitating us. Show us the path of Your lotus feet that reduce the fear of material existence, oh teacher, oh spiritual master of all who suffer the darkness. They who, performing their duties, wish to purify themselves and live without fear, must meditate on this form of Yours in bhakti-yoga. Your grace is easily obtained by the devotees, but for all other embodied souls You are difficult to reach, even for those belonging to the king of heaven Indra or for the self-realized souls whose ultimate goal it is to attain oneness with You. What else would one desire but Your lotus feet, once one has been of the worship that even for the most virtuous is difficult to attain! The invincible time, by which You in Your prowess and majesty with simply raising Your eyebrows vanquish the entire universe, constitutes no threat to a soul of complete surrender. Even but for a moment enjoying the association of a company of devotees cannot compare with heaven or with merging, not to mention worldly blessings. Let there for us who, in order to wash away the ruminations of sin, dip in and step out of the Ganges, be the mercy and virtue of this association. For this association with the glorification of Your feet defeats all misfortune and blesses the normal living beings with the fullest goodness. He whose heart was purified by the blessing derived from entering that bhakti-yoga, will be very happy to find therein the wisdom of Your way and will never end up bewildered in the dark pit of worldly influences. You are the Absolute Spirit,the Self and the transcendental light spread everywhere like the ether, in whom this universe of the cosmic manifestation has appeared.

You are the one who by His energy has created, maintains and again annihilates this variegated manifestation. Although You are never disturbed by such changes and alterations, the living beings are disturbed by them, and therefore they find the cosmic manifestation to be different or separated from You. My Lord, You are always independent, and I can clearly see this fact. Experts in the field of the Vedas and their corollaries are those transcendentalists who, for their perfection, with faith and conviction duly, by a wide range of organized actions, glorify You who are identified by that what is created, by the senses and by the heart. You are the One Original Person from whose dormant energy the diversity of the totality of the material energy has originated that is ruled by the natural modes of passion, goodness and ignorance. It is a diversity we know as the ego, the sky, the air, the fire, the water and the earth, the virtuous souls, the sages and all the living beings.That what You created from Your own potency, You afterwards enter in the form of the four kinds of bodies. By these bodies, Your own parts and parcels, You know him, an enjoyer of the senses, who like a bee that relishes the sweet honey. All we see is how You, just like the wind scattering the clouds, with Your so very great force of Time in the long run destroy all the planetary systems and how all living beings equally find their end because of external causes. The madmen of this world most greedily delight in material enjoyment, but all of a sudden You, vigilantly as the Destroyer, seize them just like a mouse is seized by the restless tongue of a hungry snake. Which educated person who knows that one, by not respecting You, only sees the useless decay of one's body, would reject Your lotus feet, the feet that by our spiritual teacher Brahma and the fourteen Manus were worshiped without hesitation or further arguing? You therefore are for us, men of wisdom, the Supreme Brahman, the Soul of the soul, the Self, the destination were there is no fear at all for the Destroyer Rudra who is feared by the entire universe.'

'If you pray like this and faithfully perform your duty, there will be happiness for all of you, oh purified sons of the king who have turned your minds to the Supreme Lord. Be of worship and always sing and meditate full of praise on Him, who as the Supreme Soul is situated in both your hearts and the hearts of all other living beings. All of you, time and again read this instruction of yoga and close it in your heart. Take to the vow of the sages of always with intelligence being silently absorbed within and practice this with the greatest respect. This was first taught by the great Lord Brahma, the master of the creators of the universe, of the great Sages headed by Bhrigu who, as his sons in charge of the world, were eager to create . We who as the controllers of the people were enjoined by him to procreate were by this instruction freed from all ignorance and thus could bring about the different kinds of people. The person who thus regularly repeats this to himself with great attention, will being absorbed in this without delay achieve the devotion to Vasudeva [Lord of Consciousness]. Spiritual knowledge is, of all benedictions in this world, the supreme transcendental benefit of happiness for every person, because one with the boat of higher knowledge crosses over the insurmountable ocean of danger. Anyone who devotedly and with faith regularly studies this song of mine, this prayer offered to Him, the Supreme Lord, will be able to please the Lord who is so difficult to praise. The person who is fixed on the song as sung by me can, by dint of Him, the dear most of all benedictions, by the Lord of the Beyond who is pleased by it, attain whatever he desires. The devotee who, rising early in the morning, with faith and devotion folding his hands, is absorbed in this prayer and thus personally listens, will be liberated from all karmic bondage. Oh sons of the king, by the intelligence of perfectly attentive praying and chanting this song I sang of the Supreme Person who is the Supersoul within every one, you will ultimately achieve the results you desired, for that practice equals the greatest austerities.'